New term breakdown for pregnancies lauded by UNMC physician

Talk about term limits.

The medical director of the Olson Center for Women’s Health is applauding the recent revision of an “at term” pregnancy by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.

Previously, a baby delivered at 37 weeks was considered “at term.” Under the new definitions, released in November, new terms have been adopted.

They are:

• Early term: Babies born during the 37th and 38th weeks
• Term: Babies born during the 39th or 40th week
• Late term: Babies born during the 41st week
• Postterm: Babies born during the 42nd week and beyond.

“Babies born under 39 weeks may require respiratory, feeding and temperature regulation assistance, whereas after 39 weeks these issues are not typical.” Sonja Kinney, M.D.

The new definitions aren’t an exercise in semantics, but an attempt to quantify four very different sets of situations, said Sonja Kinney, M.D., of UNMC’s Olson Center for Women’s Health.

“One of the goals of the recent set of definitions for a term pregnancy was to assist providers of obstetric care to better explain why it is necessary to wait until 39 weeks for elective deliveries,” Dr. Kinney said.

Early term — 37 to under 39 weeks — had been a common time when women would request an elective induction of labor due to discomfort or for scheduling issues, Dr. Kinney said.

“Babies born under 39 weeks may require respiratory, feeding and temperature regulation assistance, whereas after 39 weeks these issues are not typical,” she said. “These risks to the newborn are only worth the early scheduled delivery timing if the patient has a serious medical problem requiring delivery.

“While a seven-day time window may not sound like a big deal, it really is when we talk about the consequences to the newborn’s health.”

Patients and physicians also need to consider the unnecessary dollar costs when babies spend extra time in the hospital, Dr. Kinney said.